relationship between ancestors and us

Suppose you have a child. What would you think if the child were always pleading for what he/she wants or complaining every time he or she meets you face to face?

suppose 仮定する

plead for A Aをおねだりする

complain 不平を言う

every time S+V SがVする度に

face to face 面と向って

Children of our own are lovable, but even if you want to make their wishes come true, there are cases you cannot afford it sometimes. In the case of health problem, your child might wish something impossible no one can handle. If you had many children, and they were always asking you for something, you would be stressed out. You might have mental illness and get ill, or be likely to cause an accident from carelessness. Conversely, if your children were patient and doing their best without complaining, you would think ” I have to work hard too” and get courage to see them making efforts.

lovable 可愛い

even if S+V たとえSがVするとしても

wish 願い

come true 実現する

cannot afford A Aを買う余裕がない

impossible 不可能な

be always ~ing いつも〜してばかりいる

ask A for B AにBをくれと頼む

be stressed out 参る

mental illness 精神の病

get ill 病気になる

cause 引き起こす

accident 事故

carelessness 不注意

conversely 逆に

patient 我慢強い

do one’s best 最善を尽くす

courage 勇気

Parents are to the children what spirits of our ancestors are to ourselves. You must not ask them for something. They also get bewildered. They get distressed by their lovable offsprings. If we do our best bravely with all our problems and devote gratitude to our ancestors, they feel relieved. Since our ancestors and we are connected by a spiritual line, the vibrations of their relief are transmitted to us offsprings. Our mental states will be stable. When our ancestors’ spirits are unstable, so are we somehow. When you make them relieved without asking for anything, happy things happen to you in this world.

A is to B what C is to D AのBに対する関係はCのDに対する関係と等しい

ancestor 先祖

must not~ 〜してはいけない

get bewildered 当惑する

offspring 子孫

bravely 勇敢に

with all A Aがあるにもかかわらず

devote 捧げる

gratitude 感謝の気持ち

feel relieved 安心する

connect 繋ぐ

vibration 波動

transmit 伝える

stable 安定した

somehow どういうわけか

The best prayer and thought that make the spirits of our ancestors relieved is “I Ka Shi Te I Ta Da I Te A Ri Ga To U Go Za I Ma Su“―Thank you so much for keeping me/us alive.

prayer 祈り

thought 考え

keep A alive Aを生かしておく

Buddhist scriptures are not those Buddha intended. They were made up hundreds of years after his death. The scriptures include some factors which torture spirits or seal them off. Even if people die and become spirits, they don’t understand the meaning of the scriptures. They only wonder if they are dead because the scriptures are directing toward them. But they can understand our language. It is the best memorial service for us to devote thankful words of our own to the spirits of our ancestors.